Our romantic idea of life in the countryside is false - you aren’t safe from crime, just because you’re not living city

It’s been a harrowing week for many countryside citizens. Not only has the Mid-Wales town of Machynlleth had to face the appalling reality of the April Jones case, but those in quieter parts of South Gloucestershire and Worcestershire are reliving the details of two brutal murders thanks to the trial of Stephen Farrow. Adding needless insult to injury, however, is the strangely archaic tone that’s dominated the reporting around these traumas, which announces that they are doubly shocking because they’ve occurred in “rural idylls” and “close-knit communities”.

This, unfortunately, is nonsense. First, it’s an offensive condescension to the people who